In certain vehicular applications, in particular for vehicles with hybrid gas/electric engine systems, spikes in the torque generated by the engine system and transmitted to a transmission for the vehicle can cause damage to the transmission, for example, damage to the power shaft of the transmission.
It is known to provide torque limiting and dampening between the above engine systems and the transmission, for example, as described in Japanese patent application 2000196036. Unfortunately, the clutch in these torque limiting and dampening devices cannot be preloaded prior to installation in the vehicle. That is, extra time and expense must be expended to properly ship and install the devices. In particular, a spring that is used to load the clutch can only provide the loading force when installed in the vehicle. That is, the spring reacts against the installed vehicle to provide the loading force.
Thus, there is a long-felt need for a torque limiting and dampening device that is modular and includes a preloaded clutch to minimize steps associated with installation of the device in a vehicle.